A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN Returns to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center – January 24 – 26

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

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A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, Aventura Theatre, comedy, Jake Ehrenreich, musical comedy, Musical Theatre, theatre

The Broadway Smash
Returns to The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
January 24-26

“Charmingly infectious, touching and poignant…delightfully irresistible.
You’ll laugh your head off!” ~ New York Theater Scene

January 6, 2016

AVENTURA, FL: After a record-breaking success at the historic Lambs Theater in the heart of Broadway in 2006-2007, and a reprise in 2012, Jake Ehrenreich returns to South Florida and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center for a limited run of just four encore performances of his hit show A Jew Grows in Brooklyn. The show will run from January 24-26, 2016.

Ehrenreich’s “rock ‘n roll true story, Holocaust family, Borscht Belt” autobiographical comedy sold out when it played at Aventura last season.

When Jake Ehrenreich was growing up in Brooklyn in the 1960s and 70’s, he wanted nothing more than to be All American. But his Yiddish-speaking parents, who failed to understand the game of baseball or make sense of rock music, made it difficult for him to feel part of the mainstream culture. In his comedy musical memoir, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, directed by Jon Huberth, Ehrenreich explores how his family history, dominated by the shadow of the Holocaust, shaped the man he turned out to be. A multimedia performance, complete with photos and video of his relatives, bar mitzvah, and wedding – and filled with laughter, tears, and music, Ehrenreich’s stories will resonate with audiences of all ages.

“I wanted to tell a very serious story – but make it accessible with as much joy and laughter and music as possible”. Ehrenreich said, noting that his show is mostly upbeat and optimistic.

The New York Times raved: A Jew Grows in Brooklyn is “funny… touching… beautiful… dazzling… you don’t have to be Jewish or Brooklynish…” and compared Ehrenreich to Billy Crystal and Bill Murray. The Philadelphia Inquirer called the show “An uplifting treasure with universal appeal – in the same elevated company as Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, and Chaz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale.”

Jake Ehrenreich, 58, an award winning actor, playwright, musician and author, has appeared on Broadway in Dancin’, Barnum and They’re Playing Our Song and toured internationally as Ringo in Beatlemania. He has performed and recorded with such diverse artists as Richie Havens, Greg Allman, Tito Puente, Cab Calloway, Jay Leno and the Smothers Brothers.

After over 2,000 performances, and a National Tour of more than 25 cities, the extraordinary success of the stage play has spawned many branches, including a full-length book, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn: The Curious Reflections of a First Generation American (Published by HCI), a PBS documentary in the works, A Jew Grows in Brooklyn Day proclaimed in New York City, and even a sandwich namesake at the famous Carnegie Deli.

While A Jew Grows in Brooklyn is widely known for its comedy, it successfully uses laughter to convey a broader message. The Los Angeles Times said:

“Ehrenreich is an engaging and thoughtful raconteur who weaves philosophy into personal history. His insight into the legacy of the classic Borscht Belt entertainers is elegant in its simplicity. They made Jewish comedy synonymous with American comedy, but for Holocaust survivors and their offspring their contribution was even more special and profound: They taught us to laugh again.”

A Jew Grows in Brooklyn will run from January 24 to 26 at The Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Tickets for A Jew Grows in Brooklyn range from $45 – $75 and can be purchased by phone at 877-311-7469 or on line at www.aventuracenter.org. For information about group rates (10 or more) call 954-660-6307.

For more information about A Jew Grows in Brooklyn and/or Jake Ehrenreich, please visit www.jakeehrenreich.com or contact Carol Kassie (ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244).

Photographs and graphics are available at:
http://www.jakeehrenreich.com/press-shots.html

A video featuring highlights from A Jew Grows in Brooklyn can be seen HERE.
~*~

A Jew Grows in Brooklyn
By Jake Ehrenreich
January 24 – 26, 2016
Tickets: $45 – $75
Phone: 305-466-8002
Group Sales: 954-660-6307
To Order Tickets on Line: http://tinyurl.com/zv4j9g4
Performances:
January 24 at 3 pm & 7 pm
January 25 at 8 pm
January 26 at 8 pm
Aventura Arts & Cultural Center
3385 NE 188^th Street
Aventura, FL 33180
www.jakeehrenreich.com
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Auditions for Pigs Do Fly Productions’ May 2015 Production – March 9th

13 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Carol Kassie in Clients, Pigs Do Fly Productions

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Andrews Living Arts, Auditions, Pigs Do Fly Productions, theatre

Audition Notice:

Pigs Do Fly Productions is seeking non-union actors over 50 for their May production of seven short plays about people over the age of 50. Playwrights include Michael McKeever, Michael Leeds, and Marj O’Neill-Butler. Rehearsals will take place afternoons and evenings from April 20^th, 2015, with the production opening on May 7^th, 2015 and running for three weeks. Rehearsals are scheduled with actor’s availability in mind. Not all actors are called all the time as we are rehearsing seven short plays. All actors are expected to be off-book the day rehearsals begin. If you are interested in being considered for this production, you must send your current headshot and resume to: pigsdoflyfl@yahoo.com. Auditions will take place on March 9^th at 7 pm in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

Pigs Do Fly Productions Takes off at Empire Stage May 1st – May 11th

15 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Carol Kassie in Clients, Pigs Do Fly Productions

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aging gracefully, Beverly Blanchette, Carol Sussman, comedy, Ellen Wacher, Empire Stage, Ft. Lauderdale Theatre, humor, Kitt Marsh, Marjorie O'Neill-Butler, Mark Kroczynksi, Pigs Do Fly Productions, short plays, theatre, Todd Caster, Troy Stanley

Working in association with Empire Stage,
Pigs Do Fly Productions will produce
Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It
A Collection of Seven Humorous Short Plays

The plays have been chosen and casting is complete for Pigs Do Fly Productions’ very first production – Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It. Producer Ellen Wacher, along with directors Marjorie O’Neill-Butler and Beverly Blanchette and a committee made up of members of the South Florida theatrical community, spent several months weeding through the 353 short plays they received in response to their call for submissions. The final seven were selected at a marathon read through at Empire Stage on March 3rd.

Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It will run at Empire Stage from May 1^st through May 11^th.

Wacher was extremely specific in her search for just the right plays: “We looked for scripts that resonated with us; for situations that will strike a chord with our audiences; and of course, for humor,” she explains. “I’m really excited to be flying (pun intended!) this concept for the first time in South Florida. It’s definitely an idea whose time has come.”

Pigs Do Fly Productions’ mission is to produce plays that highlight the actor over 50 as a viable, fully involved, full of life character; the company’s goal is to tap into the 100 million plus Americans who are over age 50 and are under recognized by the marketers of products and entertainment – with theatre that reflects their world and resonates with them.

“Ellen told me she wanted to produce plays, and we agreed that she should produce plays about people over 50 since she is always discussing the lack of work for more mature actors,” says Marjorie O’Neill-Butler. “I suggested the short play format; she came up with the idea of making the plays about people who are fit and happy.” O’Neill-Butler will direct four of the seven plays, Beverly Blanchette will direct three.

Todd Caster, Mark Kroczynski , Kitt Marsh, Troy J. Stanley, Carol Sussman, and Janet Weakly will all be featured in the production. Several of the actors, all of whom fall within the demographic Wacher hopes to attract, had signed on even before the plays were chosen. “However,” she stresses, “I have absolutely no doubt these plays will appeal to everyone. They’re funny, and witty, and touching, and will resonate with anyone who sees them.”

The seven 10-minute plays selected will be mounted in the following order (see below for playwright bios):
Flight Fright by Marjorie O’Neill-Butler
Kiss Her Goodbye by Mike Vogel
Theater In the Red byJoan Broadman
Mrs. Jensen Isn’t Here Now by Steve Korbar
Spice by David Susman
Poison Control by Rebecca Gorman O’Neill
How Nice of You to Ask by Rich Rubin

Tickets for Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know it are $25 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.pigsdoflyproductions.com, or by calling 866-811-4111.

For more information about Pigs Do Fly Productions, please visit www.pigsdoflyproductions.com. For more information about Ellen Wacher, please visit www.ellenwacher.com. To set up interviews, or for photos, please contact Carol Kassie at ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244.

~*~

Pigs Do Fly Productions presents
Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It
Dates: May 1 – May 11, 2014
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday: 8 pm
Sunday: 5 pm
Tickets: $25
Tickets: 866-811-4111 / www.pigsdoflyproductions.com
All performances will take place at Empire Stage.
1140 North Flagler Drive.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Pigs Do Fly Production Team:
Producer/Artistic Director:        Ellen Wacher
Director:                               Marjorie O’Neill-Butler
Director:                               Beverly Blanchette
Stage Manager:                    Jeffrey Ostrow
Set Designer:                        Preston Bircher
Marketing & Public Relations: Carol Kassie

Playwright Bios:

Joan Broadman (Theatre in the Red) has written twelve short plays, three full-length plays, and three feature-length screenplays. Her plays have been performed in twelve states, Australia, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Her many playwriting awards include “Excellence in Playwriting” from the Theatre Association of New York State. In June 2013, Broadman completed UCLA’s Professional Program in Screenwriting.

Steven Korbar’s (Mrs. Jensen Isn’t Here Now) full-length and one-act plays have been produced throughout the United States and Canada. Productions include I Understand Your Frustration at the Turtleshell Theatre NYC, Let Go at Future Ten in Pittsburgh, Hard at Elephant Stageworks in LA, Circles at Shelterbelt Theatre in Omaha. His comedy What Are You Going to Be was recently published as part of Smith and Kraus’ “Best Short Plays of 2013”.

Rebecca Gorman O’Neill (Poison Control) was born in Akron, Ohio. She escaped at age 17 to attend Dartmouth College, and she went on to earn her M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. Rebecca’s original plays have been produced across the country, and her plays Tell-Tale and The Greater Good are available from Eldridge Publishing and Next Stage Press, respectively. Rebecca is an Associate Professor of English at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she reaches playwriting, screenwriting, cinema studies, and the graphic novel.

Marj O’Neill-Butler, (Flight Fright) a member of the Dramatists Guild and the International Center for Women Playwrights, is a produced playwright of True Blue, eight Theatre for Children scripts, short plays Stalwart Woman, At The Bus Stop, Life Imitates Art, Leaving Home, What If?, Scavenger Hunt, Missed Connections, Elf Yourself, Chairs, One Less, and a reader’s theatre script The Women Of The Beat Generation. She is proud member of Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Visit her online at http://www.marjorieoneill-butler.com.

Rich Rubin’s (How Nice of You to Ask) plays have been produced throughout the U. S., including theaters in New York, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles. Internationally, his work has been staged in London, Berlin, Sydney, Singapore, Mexico and Canada. Rich is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild as well as Portland’s Nameless Playwrights and P-Town Playwrights.

David Susman’s (Spice) short plays have been staged at the Boston Theater Marathon, the Maine Playwrights Festival, the Playwrights’ Platform Festival of New Plays in Boston, the Company Theatre’s Winter Shorts Festival in Norwell, MA, and the 0-60 Ten Minute Play Competition at Longwood University in Virginia. He lives and teaches in southern Maine.

Mike Vogel’s (Kiss Her Goodbye) full-length comedy March Madness was successfully produced off-Broadway in Fall 2012 at NYC’s Abingdon Theatre. He has had numerous one act plays produced nationwide and also writes a weekly column for a NYC newspaper.

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Evening Star Productions Debuts with ‘I Remain… J. Austen’

29 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by Carol Kassie in Clients

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Boca Raton Theatre Guild, Evening Star Productions, I Remain... J. Austen, Jane Austen, Sol Children Theatre, theatre

Evening Star Productions
presents
V. Glasgow Koste’s
I Remain… J. Austen
September 27 – 29

“…Imagination is everything…” Jane Austen

August, 2013 Boca Raton, FL:
Sol Theatre will debut its brand new company, Evening Star Productions with a performance of V. Glasgow Koste’s I Remain… J. Austen in a limited run from September 27^th – 29^th.

The play, which will star Sol Theatre alumna Ireland Glennon, posits that Jane Austen is alive and well and living any place she chooses to ‘body forth’ at the flamboyant age of 218-going-on-forever. Quirky, jubilant and curious, this Jane’s ironic and comic edge reveals a fiercely independent woman, liberated by her work’s immortality to speak her mind and open her heart. Glennon received glowing reviews when she first played the role in the Sol Children Theatre’s production of the play last May, bringing to life a Jane Austen, as imagined by Koste ‘not staled by custom or stereotype; facing death and the loss of love; laughing at herself; reveling in the sound and sense of language; burning with work; demanding, raging, discovering, and still growing.’

An offshoot of Sol Children Theatre, Evening Star Productions will focus on plays for more for mature audiences, and feature adult, professional actors, as well as young people working towards a career in theatre. The company will offer serious young adult actors, stage managers, and designers the opportunity to push the boundaries of their knowledge and talent in a safe and highly professional environment; enable them to prepare for college, regional, and professional theatre companies; and offer them the opportunity to be critiqued by regional professionals and critics to receive objective evaluations vital to their personal and professional growth.

Evening Star Productions’ I Remain…J. Austen will run from September 27^th – 29^th at Sol Theatre in Boca Raton. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for students. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased at the Sol Theatre box office at 561-447-8829.

Praise for I Remain… J. Austen and Ireland Glennon:

“What a wonderful, wonderful production! We had the best time! Yes, the script is brilliant, but more than that, the direction, delivery, execution of that script are priceless! Ireland Glennon breathes life into a witty, down-to-earth, let’s-get-real-here Jane Austen that does not stretch the limits of disbelief. It was a privilege to watch this brilliant young woman bring the 18th century wit into 21st century Boca….” Shefali Choksi

“What an amazing solo show. I was transported to another time and wanted to go home and pick up her books.” Carola Blackwood

~*~

I Remain … J. Austen
By: V. Glasgow Koste
September 27 – 29
Friday & Saturday: 7 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 2 pm
Tickets: $15/$10 students

3333 N. Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL 33431

All tickets can be purchased at
Phone: 561-447-8829

info@eveningstarproductions.org

www.eveningstarproductions.org

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Moon Over Buffalo at the Broward Stage Door Theatre – August 30 – October 6

01 Thursday Aug 2013

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Broward Stage Door Theatre, comedy, Ken Clement, Ken Ludwig, Michael Leeds, Moon Over Buffalo, theatre

Broward Stage Door Theatre
presents
Ken Ludwig’s
Uproarious Comedy
Moon Over Buffalo
“Moon Over Buffalo packs more comic genius onto the stage than anything in recent memory!” USA Today

“Picture a down-at-their-heels theatrical family led by a drunken womanizer married to a wacky fading beauty,” says director Michael Leeds. “Toss in a deaf grandmother determined to get “back on the boards” and a daughter who’s vowed never to act again. They band together for one last shot at stardom, performing a riotous mash up of Cyrano and Private Lives for a TV weatherman they’ve mistaken for Frank Capra! That’s the plot of Moon Over Buffalo!”

Playwright Ken Ludwig’s madcap comedy Moon Over Buffalo will open on August 30^th and run through October 6^th at the The Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs.

Having already directed a very successful production of Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor at Stage Door, Leeds is delighted with the opportunity to tackle another one of the popular playwright’s chaotically farcical pieces: “When I read the play, I laughed out loud at every page,” he explains. “It’s definitely a crowd pleaser!”

The cast of Moon Over Buffalo will include South Florida favorite Ken Clement, along with Michelle Foytek, Andy Quiroga, Jessica Carmen, Ed Miskie, Susan Slotoroff, Glen
Lawrence, and Miki Edelman.

“Ken Ludwig’s plays are an actor’s dream and George is having an actor’s nightmare,” says Clement. “ Its like a gym membership with swords. I’ve always wanted to do ‘Cyrano’ and ‘Private Lives’. Now I get to do them both at the same time!”

Ken Ludwig is an internationally-acclaimed playwright whose work has been performed in at least 30 countries in over 20 languages. He has had 6 shows produced on Broadway and 6 in London’s West End. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, three Tony Award nominations, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Award, the SETC Distinguished Career Award, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Services to the Theatre. His plays have been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic. His best known plays and musicals include Lend Me A Tenor, Crazy For You, Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies, Twentieth Century, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Game’s Afoot, The Fox on the Fairway, Midsummer/Jersey, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island and The Beaux’ Stratagem. His plays have starred Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave, Mickey Rooney, Hal Holbrook, Dixie Carter, Tony Shalhoub, Anne Heche, Joan Collins, and Kristin Bell. His book, How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare, was published in June 2013 by Random House, and his work has been published by the Yale Review. He has degrees from Harvard, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein, Haverford College and Cambridge University. For more information, please visit www.kenludwig.com .

Moon Over Buffalo will run from August 30^th to October 6^th at The Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs. The theatre is located at 8036 Sample Road, in Coral Springs. (The production will move to Byron Carlyle Theatre in Miami Beach on October 11^th, and run through November 3^rd).

Tickets for Moon Over Buffalo are $38; $16 student tickets are also available. Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at www.stagedoortheatre.com

~*~

Critical Praise for Moon Over Buffalo:

“Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo tops the mayhem and pitch-perfect farce of his other hit, Lend Me a Tenor.”
Orange County Register

“Ken Ludwig is one of those rare contemporary playwrights who thinks in terms of old-fashioned knockabout farce, and that’s something to be cherished.”
The New York Times

“The funniest show in New York … The comedy has audiences rolling in the aisles. The second act has a show-within-a-show spoof of Private Lives with everybody in the wrong costumes reading the wrong lines. This has to be one of the most hysterical things ever put onstage. I have seen Moon Over Buffalo three times! I expect you to see it once.”
New York Post (Liz Smith)

“Moon Over Buffalo is hilarious! Ludwig stuffs his play with comic invention, running gags and neat sense of absurdity. An evening of farcical delight. Go and enjoy!”
New York Post (Clive Barnes)

Moon Over Buffalo
By: Ken Ludwig
August 30 – October 6
Tickets: $38 (Students $16)
Phone: 954-344-7765
* Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:00 pm,
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm
The Broward Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Coral Springs, Fl 33065
www.stagedoortheatre.com

* Please note: There will be no performances on
Friday, September 13 at 8 pm,
Saturday, September 14 at 2 pm, or
Sunday, September 29 at 2 pm.

Parade Productions to present ‘The Last Schwartz’ – January 30-February 23, 2014

06 Monday May 2013

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Betsy Graver, Boca Raton Theatre, Candace Caplin, Clay Cartland, comedy, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Ken Clement, Kim St. Leon, Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, Parade Productions, Studio Theatre, The Last Schwartz, theatre

Parade Productions to present
Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Schwartz

January 31 – February 23, 2014
The Schwartz family is on its last legs. Their father is dead and their Catskills home is going up for sale. Norma Schwartz’ husband hasn’t spoken to her since she turned their 15 year old son in for smoking pot; it doesn’t seem like brother Herb’s wife will ever present him with an heir; middle sibling Simon has one foot on the moon; and youngest brother Gene arrives at the family compound with an unexpected guest. What unfolds is the funny, surprising, and ultimately moving story of a family at a key moment in their history.

Parade Productions will present Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Schwartz from January 31^st through February 23^rd at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center’s Studio Theatre. The play received unanimously glowing reviews when it debuted at Florida Stage in 2002.

Director Kim St. Leon was immediately drawn to the piece. “We see a family’s history and future collide on one fateful weekend,” she says. “While we need to understand where we come from, we can’t let it hinder where we’re going. In The Last Schwartz some hold on to the past too tightly while others let go of it too freely. The machinations of families have always fascinated me and The Last Schwartz does that with laughter, charm, and poignancy.”

Ken Clement and Betsy Graver have already committed to the project, and casting for the rest of the roles is underway.

“I’m very excited that we’re doing The Last Schwartz,” says Parade Productions Executive Producer Candace Caplin. “It’s one of my all-time favorite plays. It has everything; it’s funny, it’s touching, it’s full of surprises; its characters are people we all know and deal with. It’s been top of my list for years.”

Playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer is a recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Lilly Award. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and a two-time recipient of the LeCompte du Nouy grant from The Lincoln Center Foundation. Her plays have been developed at Florida Stage, The Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Ojai Playwrights Conference, The Missoula Colony, The Cherry Lane Alternative, The Dramatists Guild Fellowship Program, New Georges, The Lark Play Development Center, and Geva Theatre Center. She has received a National New Play Network rolling premiere and commission. She is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a lyricist and librettist.

Parade Productions is a not-for profit theatre company whose mission is “To produce high quality theatre experiences that entertain, enlighten, inform, uplift, and inspire audiences, sending them home with new thoughts, insights, questions, and ideas.”

The Last Schwartz will have one preview performance on January 30^th, 2014. It will open on January 31^st, and will run through February 23^rd, with performances Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices are $35 ($30 for groups of 20 or more).

Tickets will go on sale June 1^st, and will be available at: www.paradeproductions.org, or by calling 866-811-4111. For Group Sales please call: 561-291-9678.

Critical praise for The Last Schwartz:

“. . . metaphysically profound . . . The Last Schwartz is rollicking, sad, shocking, goofy, and thoughtful. It is comic drama firing on all cylinders, a superb work of theater by a playwright in full command of her considerable gift for character and dialogue.” T.L. Ponick, The Washington Times

“Anyone who has lived in a family for even a minute will be able to identify with the wackiness and heartbreaks in The Last Schwartz.” Laufer creates “alternately funny and emotional dialogue.” Donna Hartman, Bradenton Herald

“The Last Schwartz balances comedy and drama. We ache for the Schwartz family members. We love them and hate them and laugh all the way to the family patriarch’s grave and beyond.” Alec Clayton, Tacoma News Tribune / The Olympian

The Last Schwartz
By Deborah Zoe Laufer
Tickets: $35/$40
January 31-February 23, 2013
Preview: January 31, 2013
Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 3 pm
The Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, Studio Theatre, 2^nd Floor
201 Plaza Real
Boca Raton, FL 33432
Phone: 866-811-4111
Group Sales: 561-291-9678
www.paradeproductions.org
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The Women’s Theatre Project 2013-2014 Season: ‘THE LYONS’ & ‘RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS’

02 Thursday May 2013

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Allison Engel, Barbara Bradshaw, Boca Raton Theatre, comedy, Genie Croft, Margaret Engel, Molly Ivins, Nicky Silver, Red Hot Patriot, Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, The Lyons, The Willow Theatre, The Women's Theatre Project, theatre

The Women’s Theatre Project
to present Two South Florida Premieres in 2013-2014

Acerbic comedy and salty satire are in store for The Women’s Theatre Project audiences as the well respected company enters into its 11^th season and its second year at the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton’s Sugar Sand Park. The Lyons will run from December 6^th through December 22^nd, 2013, and Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins will play February 28^th through March 16^th, 2014. It will be the first time either of these plays has been produced in South Florida.

The Lyons, Nicky Silver’s outrageously funny and stirring play about a family coming to terms with the impending death of its patriarch received glowing reviews when it ran on Broadway in 2012. The play focuses on Rita Lyons and her grown children, who, as they gather to say goodbye, learn that despite being a family, each of them is totally isolated. Afraid of closeness and solitude, they are pushed into a new arena – the human connection. New York Magazine’s Scott Brown said The Lyons is “simply trying to tell a funny, furious little tale of family annihilation with honesty, savagery, and humanity.”

“The complex and inter-connected relationships in this family remind us how close comedy and tragedy are to each other,” says TWTP artistic director Genie Croft. “I found the dysfunctional family in The Lyons to be darkly funny, smart, and deeply affecting. It’s an exciting script that roars to life, with characters who behave with complicated emotions, and this makes it an excellent choice for the type of work that The Women’s Theatre Project likes to offer on stage. Although it’s the first play TWTP is producing that was written by a man (our past 32 productions have all been written by women), we feel it is a unique opportunity to continue to expand and evolve our mission, by giving voice to these characters, theme, and plot.”

With Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins audiences will be treated to the wit and wisdom of a true original. Barbara Bradshaw will star as the unsinkable, unstoppable Molly Ivins. The ‘dyed-in-the-wool liberal from deep in the heart of Texas’, famously brassy newspaper columnist and best-selling author was a crusading journalist who broke gender barriers with her sharp-tongued wit, humor, and political savvy to establish herself as one of the nation’s most influential political columnists. Written by twin sisters Margaret and Allison Engel, the play is a true tribute to Ivin’s wit, sense of humor, and love of irony. The script also delves into Ivins’ life to reveal what drove her from a comfortable upper- class upbringing and education to the good-ole-boy, hard-drinking world of journalism and political warfare. Red Hot Patriot seamlessly weaves personal anecdotes with a sharp and clever look at one of our favorite national pastimes – politics.

“I love the fact that the Dallas Times Herald let Ivins write what she pleased,” says Croft, “They even endorsed that policy on billboards that read: ‘Molly Ivins, Can’t Say That, Can She?’ The Engels’ script captures the jokes about provoking politicians, and her reminiscences of personal heartbreak inform and offer insight into who she was.”

The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park is located at 300 South Military Trail in Boca Raton, just south of Palmetto Park Road.

The Lyons
By Nicky Silver
December 6 – 22, 2013
Tickets: $25
Previews: December 6 at 8 pm/December 7 at 2 pm (Tickets $20)
Thu-Sat 8pm, Sat-Sun 2pm
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail,
Boca Raton, FL 33486
Tickets: $25
Phone: 561-347-3948
~

Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins
By Margaret and Allison Engel
February 28 – March 16, 2014
Tickets: $25
Previews: Friday, February 28 at 8 pm/Saturday March 1 at 2 pm (Tickets $20)
Thu-Sat 8pm, Sat-Sun 2pm
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail,
Boca Raton, FL 33486
Tickets: $25
Phone: 561-347-3948
www.womenstheatreproject.com
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Sol Children Theatre’s April and May schedule has something for everyone!

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Carol Kassie in Clients, Sol Children Theatre

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Boca Raton, Children's Theatre, comedy, Improv, Jane Austen, Punch and Judy, Silly, Sol Children Theatre, Sol Children Theatre Troupe, Summer Programs, theatre, Theatre Camp

Sol Children Theatre provides quality theatrical experiences for
young actors and their audiences
Boca Raton’s Sol Children Theatre is a thriving, active, and talented troupe of young performers who will be on stage in a variety of productions through April and May. From Austen to Improv, the company will provide family friendly entertainment at extremely reasonable prices.

On April 27^tthat 7 pm audiences are invited to participate in the company’s Improv Comedy Night 2: Electric Boogaloo. No scripts, no plot – just lots of imagination, comedy, and fun.

On May 3^rd & 4^th Sol will present I Remain … J. Austen. V. Glasgow Koste’s one-woman show posits that Austin is alive and well and living any place she chooses to “body forth” at the flamboyant age of 218-going-on-forever. Quirky, jubilant and curious, this Jane’s ironic and comic edge reveals a fiercely independent woman, liberated by her work’s immortality to speak her mind and open her heart. Sol troupe member Ireland Glennon gives a tour de force performance bringing to life a Jane not staled by custom or stereotype; facing death and the loss of love; laughing at herself; reveling in the sound and sense of language; burning with work; demanding, raging, discovering, and still growing.

Inspired by the timeless comedic styles of Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges, and patterned after English folk tales, pantomime, and 17^th Century puppet shows, Punch & Judy, and the Three Sillies (May 17^th-19^th) includes a typically convoluted plot, mistaken identities, and pure comedy – all of which combine to provide perfectly silly entertainment for the entire family.

Registration is now open for Sol’s summer camp program, run in partnership with Olympic Heights Community High School and the Palm Beach County School District. Sol offers a comprehensive and nurturing environment for young artists to expand their horizons while at the same time, staging a full-length, fully-staged production in which each child has the opportunity to flaunt his or her talents and progress. This year’s productions are Disney’s The Little Mermaid (July 5 at 2 pm and 7 pm), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (August 2 at 2 and 7 pm).

For more information about Sol Children Theatre, the company’s summer camp program, and a complete list of upcoming productions, visit www.solchildren.org or contact Rosalie Grant at 561-447-8829 / solchildtroupe@aol.com or Carol Kassie at 561-445-9244 / ckassie@gmail.com .

Improv Comedy Night 2: Electric Boogaloo
Saturday, April 27
7:00 pm
Tickets: $15

I Remain… J. Austen
Friday, May 3
7:00 pm
Saturday, May 4
2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
Tickets: $12/$8 for juniors (11 and younger)

Punch & Judy, and the Three Sillies
Friday & Saturday, May 17 & 18
7: 00 pm
Saturday & Sunday, May 18 & 19
2:00 pm
Tickets: $12/$8 for juniors (11 and younger)

Sol Children Theatre
3333 North Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL
Phone: 561-447-8829
www.solchildren.org

The Boca Raton Theatre Guild presents Avi Hoffman in ‘Still Jewish After All These Years’

11 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by Carol Kassie in Boca Raton Theatre Guild, Clients

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Avi Hoffman, Boca Raton Theatre Guild, comedy, musical comedy, Musical Theatre, The Willow Theatre, theatre

“Hoffman offers….a non-stop display of enthusiasm,
a terrific delivery with jokes
and an amusing way with a song…” NJ.com

Award-winning actor, singer, author, raconteur, and South Florida favorite Avi Hoffman will return to the Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park with Still Jewish After All These Years: A Life in the Theatre, a celebration of his life in show business.

One of South Florida’s busiest and most popular actors, Hoffman has just completed a triumphant run in the Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s production of Chicago, and is currently garnering rave reviews in Outré Theatre Company’s An Illiad. Still Jewish After All These Years will run from May 10^th -19^th.

Accompanied by pianist Caryl Fantel, Hoffman will invite audiences on a casual and intimate tour of his multifaceted career and his extraordinary life in show business. Filled with songs and stories, reminiscences of performances, encounters with greats… and not so greats, Hoffman’s Still Jewish… will, entertain, move, and resonate with everyone.

Avi Hoffman has received national and critical recognition for his award-winning one man shows Too Jewish? and Too Jewish, Too! (Performer of the Year/NY Press Magazine; L.A. OVATION Award – Best Actor in a Musical; NY Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). Both these shows have been broadcast nationally on PBS. His extensive resume includes groundbreaking productions of Songs of Paradise with Broadway impresario Joseph Papp and the NY productions of The Golden Land and The Rise of David Levinsky. Hoffman has performed all over the world, and has numerous theatre credits and multiple Carbonell and Curtain Up awards and nominations. He is currently featured as lawyer Sid Raskin in the STARZ TV series Magic City. He also appeared as ‘Ted’ on A&E’s The Glades and as ‘Teddy Wayne’ on NBC’s Law & Order, and was seen in the PBS documentary They Came for Good: A History of the Jews in the US.

The Boca Raton Theatre Guild is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to producing professional productions and advancing the art of theatre in the South Florida community.

All performances of Still Jewish After All These Years will take place in the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park. The theatre is located at 300 South Military Trail in Boca Raton, just south of Palmetto Park Road.

Tickets for Still Jewish… are $25, and are available at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948.

For more information about Still Jewish After All These Years: A Life in the Theatre and/or the Boca Raton Theatre Guild, please visit www.avihoffman.com/ or www.brtg.org

Still Jewish After All These Years: A Life in the Theatre
May 10 – 19
Performances:
May 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 at 8:00 PM
May 11, 12, 18, 19 at 2:00 PM
The Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park
300 South Military Trail,
Boca Raton, FL 33486
Tickets: $25
Phone: 561-347-3948

“The precious truth about Avi Hoffman is that his shows rest on a solid foundation of scholarship. Mr. Hoffman is a teacher and a dedicated preservationist of culture. But like so many sages, he disguises his lessons as entertainment.” ~ New York Times

“Avi Hoffman scores in Still Jewish!” ~ H. Erstein – PB Arts Paper
“Avi Hoffman enthralls!” ~ K. Thompson – Palm Beach Post
“Avi Hoffman is a treasure!” ~ R. Levitt – Media News

The South Florida Theatre League’s Summer Fest Invitation: ‘Get in Bed with the Arts!’

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Carol Kassie in Clients, The South Florida Theatre League

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Actor's Playhouse, Arsht Center, Broadway Musical Theatre, Gable Stage, Get in Bed with the Arts, Lake Worth Playhouse, Mad Cat Theatre Company, Sol Children Theater, South Florida Theatre League, theatre, Theatre League

The South Florida Theatre League Invites Theatres & Patrons to
Get in Bed with the Arts

The South Florida Theatre League is building a bed! Yes, a bed. Its cover will be a map listing all South Florida theatres; its bed skirt will contain the logos of the League’s member theatres; its head board will read Get in Bed with the Arts; and its footboard will feature the South Florida Theatre League logo and website address.
(Rendering of bed by Bombshell Productions)

The goal of the League’s Get in Bed with the Arts campaign, which will run in conjunction with WLRN’s Summer Theatre Fest program, is to raise awareness of the theatrical arts in the South Florida community.

The bed will make its debut at the 37^th annual Carbonell Awards ceremony on April 1^st at the Broward Center for the Arts, and will lead the way to the South Florida Theatre League sponsored after party/celebration; its final appearance will be as a participant in the annual Coconut Grove Bed Race on Labor Day weekend.

The bed will ‘visit’ League member theatres during Theatre Fest (June 1^st through August 31^st) on Thursday evenings (performance days only). Theatre patrons will be invited to participate in the fun – doing interviews, or having their photos taken on or next to the bed. The interviews and photos will be posted on the South Florida Theatre League’s website (www.southfloridatheatre.com/).

The bed was designed, built, and generously subsidized by Fort Lauderdale’s Bombshell Productions. TheatreMania is also a sponsor.

Many of the League’s member theatres are already on board (or in bed!) with the project. Some of the participating theatres are:

Actors Playhouse –
Adrienne Arsht Center – Slava’s Snowshow (July 31 – August 25)
Broadway Musical Theatre – Shrek the Musical (June 1 – 9)
FIU/Alternative Theatre Festival – A Hundred Thousand Years
Gable Stage – Cock (May 18– June 16)
The Lake Worth Playhouse – In the Heights (July 11-28)
Mad Cat Theatre Company – Blow Me (August 15 – September 1)
Sol Children Theatre – Wind in the Willows (August 9 – 25)

A complete list of participating theatres, their productions, and run dates will be announced in the near future.

The South Florida Theatre League is an alliance of theatrical organizations and professionals dedicated to nurturing, promoting, and advocating for the growth and prestige of the South Florida theatre industry.

Carol Kassie

~ Theatrical Marketing & Public Relations

Tag Archives: theatre

A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN Returns to the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center – January 24 – 26

Auditions for Pigs Do Fly Productions’ May 2015 Production – March 9th

Pigs Do Fly Productions Takes off at Empire Stage May 1st – May 11th

Evening Star Productions Debuts with ‘I Remain… J. Austen’

Moon Over Buffalo at the Broward Stage Door Theatre – August 30 – October 6

Parade Productions to present ‘The Last Schwartz’ – January 30-February 23, 2014

The Women’s Theatre Project 2013-2014 Season: ‘THE LYONS’ & ‘RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS’

Sol Children Theatre’s April and May schedule has something for everyone!

The Boca Raton Theatre Guild presents Avi Hoffman in ‘Still Jewish After All These Years’

The South Florida Theatre League’s Summer Fest Invitation: ‘Get in Bed with the Arts!’